Montana, 2021Drought in Montana, March 1 to 31, 2021
March 1 to 31, 2021 · NWS GGW · 9 events in 9 counties and zones
The regional weather pattern remained relatively dry as most showers were either too light to make any impact or simply moved elsewhere. Severe and extreme drought conditions expanded from east to west.
Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The regional weather pattern remained relatively dry as most showers were either too light to make any impact or simply moved elsewhere. Severe and extreme drought conditions expanded from east to west.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 28, 7:53 PM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 7:53 PM MST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
753 PM MST Sun Feb 28 2021
.DISCUSSION...
Evening update...
Going forecast was is good shape, with dry conditions across the
region.
After a sizable rebound in temperatures today, a continuing of the
warming trend will continue into the work week ahead, as well as
the dry weather.
97
Previous discussion...
Little shortwave is riding down the east side of the building
Pacific Ridge this afternoon. Main consequence is some breezy
conditions which will calm down by tonight and some clouds
overnight with an outside chance of a flurry or light snow shower
over our far northeastern zones.
Pacific ridge parks over our area the majority of the week.
However a trough in far northern Canada will keep the ridge from
amplifying to its true potential keeping things aloft in a zonal
flow. Regardless this flattened ridge will keep things dry and
temperatures about 10-15 degrees above normal.
By the end of the week that Canadian trough has departed and the
ridge will be able to amplify more and push our temperatures even
warmer. Quite a spread in the models but temperatures could range
anywhere from the mid 50s north to mid 60s south. Will have to
keep watching to see how things trend but the bottom line is
temperatures well above normal this upcoming weekend.
RMB
&&
.AVIATION...
FLIGHT CONDITIONS: VFR.
WINDS: light and variable tonight and Monday morning, becoming SW
10-20 kts with higher gusts Monday afternoon. SW-W 5-15 kts Monday
evening through Tuesday morning.
SYNOPSIS: Quiet flying weather will continue for at least the next
couple of days as upper level ridging will be the dominant
feature.
97
&&
.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
&&
weather.gov/glasgow
Drought, Sheridan
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
To start the month of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) retreated from county-wide coverage at the end of February, to be confined only to the western and southern edges of Sheridan County. For the last two weeks of the month of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) then expanded again to include all of Sheridan County.
Drought, Daniels
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
To start the month of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February continued across central and eastern portions of Daniels County (generally near and east of MT Highway 13). For the last two weeks of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) then expanded to include all of Daniels County.
Drought, Western Roosevelt
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Western Roosevelt forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
In the first week of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February, found across all but the western edge of Western Roosevelt County, expanded to include the southwestern portion of Western Roosevelt County. From the second week of March through the end of the month, drought conditions (D2-Severe) then expanded to include all of Western Roosevelt County.
Drought, Eastern Roosevelt
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February persisted across all of Eastern Roosevelt County through the entire month of March. Through the last half of March, drought conditions (D3-Extreme) advanced westward from western North Dakota to enter the southeastern corner of Eastern Roosevelt County.
Drought, Richland
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
In the first week of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February, found across all but the southwestern corner of Richland County, expanded to include all of Richland County. Through the last half of March, drought conditions (D3-Extreme) advanced westward from western North Dakota, to spread into a good portion of east-central and northeastern Richland County.
Drought, McCone
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- McCone forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
In the first week of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February, found only in the northeast corner of McCone County, spread toward the southwest to cover more than half of the county. From the second week of March through the end of the month, drought conditions (D2-Severe) expanded further to cover all but the western and southwestern edges of McCone County.
Drought, Dawson
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Dawson forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
In the first week of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February, found across the eastern half of Dawson County, expanded to include all of Dawson County, which continued through the end of the month.
Drought, Wibaux
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Wibaux forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought Conditions (D2-Severe) persisted across all of Wibaux County through the entire month of March.
Drought, Prairie
- When
- March 1, 12:00 AM MST to March 31, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Prairie forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
In the first week of March, drought conditions (D2-Severe) from February, found only in the eastern edge of Prairie County, expanded westward to include almost half of the county and persisted there through the end of the month.
- Drought
- A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, March 1, 20211 death · $295,000 · EF1 · 4 events
- Flooding in West Virginia, March 1 to 4, 2021$412,000 · 47 events
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Kentucky, March 1 to 2, 2021$75,000 · 74 events
- Strong Wind in Vermont, March 1, 2021$255,000 · 16 events
- Flood in Nebraska, March 1 to 5, 2021$500,000 · 1 event
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 1 to 5, 2021$100,000 · 5 events
- High Wind and Strong Wind in Massachusetts, March 1 to 2, 2021$58,000 · 68 kt wind · 15 events
- Flooding in Ohio, March 1 to 5, 2021$74,000 · 9 events
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 1 to 25, 2021$72,000 · 7 events
- Flooding in Tennessee, March 1, 2021$70,000 · 3 events
- High Wind and Strong Wind in New York, March 1 to 2, 2021$22,000 · 50 kt wind · 27 events
- Flooding and Heavy Rain in West Virginia, March 1 to 2, 2021$50,000 · 10 events
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 948368, 948369, 948370, 948371, 948372, 948373, 948374, 948375, 948376.